1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air brush.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 12 shows a prior art air brush. This air brush is comprised of an air brush main body 101 which is formed substantially into a pencil shape. The extremity end of the aforementioned air brush main body 101 is provided with a nozzle 102, and a needle 104 for use in opening or closing the nozzle 102 is slidably inserted into and passed along an axial core section of the air brush main body 101.
The needle 104 is slid by an operating lever 105 arranged at a middle part of the air brush main body 101 in an axial core direction to cause compressed air to be injected out of the nozzle 102 at the extremity end of the main body 101. Then, coating material supplied from a coating material container 103 arranged just after the nozzle 102 is blown out together with injection of compressed air so as to perform a fine blowing injection. At the middle part of the air brush main body 101 is arranged an air feeding hose 111 acting as a supplying source for the compressed air or an air supplying port 106 to which an air bomb or the like is connected. The air supplying port 106 is comprised of a connecting section 106a and a valve fitting 106b.
A connecting cylinder 106a formed in a substantially cylindrical shape is connected at its upper end to a middle part of the air brush main body 101, and fixed by soldering or the like and integrally assembled with the main body 101. In addition, an aeration passage 109 is formed within the connecting cylinder 106a.
The aeration passage 109 is constructed such that it communicates with an aeration passage 110 formed within the air brush main body 101 toward the nozzle 102 and then the compressed air supplied from an air feeding hose 111 connected to the air supplying port 106 passes through the aeration passages 109 and 110 and is supplied to the nozzle 102.
In addition, to the lower end port of the connecting cylinder 106a is connected a valve fitting 106b having an air valve 107 installed therein. To the air valve 107 arranged in the valve fitting 106b is connected an operating lever 105 arranged at the upper section of the air brush main body 101, the operating lever 105 is pushed down to cause the air valve 107 to be opened to start an air supplying operation, namely a blowing injection of the coating material is started.
In addition, in the case of the air supplying port 106, although the connecting cylinder 106a integrally assembled with the air brush main body 101 and the valve fitting 106b are connected to each other as shown in FIG. 12, there is provided another configuration in which the air supplying port has the connecting cylinder extended and the air valve is directly installed in it.
As the prior air brushes constructed as described above, four or five different basic types have been developed for respective kinds of application, for use with demands for different sizes or forms of coating material container (for example, a weight type or a suction type) and nozzle port diameter, or when finer air blowing injection work such as precise coating or graphic design is required. Frequently, the most suitable air brush for performing a targeted air blowing injection is selected from four or five types of air brushes at each of the working stages.
Accordingly, it is common for an air brush artist to keep two to five different types of air brushes when several kinds of air brushes are demanded for various coating operations as described above.
However, the use of many air brushes for various kinds of work automatically requires an expenditure. Accordingly, the individual application of different kinds of air brushes requires a general user to bear an economical burden, and this is a substantial hindrance when the air brush is applied at a higher technical level.
In addition, although the aforementioned prior art air brush has a fine elongated aeration passage 110 for supplying compressed air to the nozzle 102, and an insertion passing hole for inserting a needle 104 is punched in the air brush main body 101, it is technically difficult to perform high precision machining for these structures during the manufacturing operation. In particular, it is sometimes found that the aeration passage 110 is elongated and of fine diameter, and inclined with respect to the axial core of the air brush main body 101, requiring troublesome machining operations. Additionally, when maintenance work is carried out for the aeration passage 110 and the pass-through holes in the needle 104, the work must start from the extremity end port and the rear end port of the air brush main body 101, resulting in the difficult and troublesome maintenance operations.